Airborne 12.09.16

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Airborne 12.09.16

FAA Orders Maine Airport To Clean Up Its Act

How would you like to know that,
even though you're paying rent on your leased space at the airport
every month, the lease isn't binding and you could be bounced off
the field at just about any time? Kinda stings, doesn't it?

The FAA says that's the situation at Maine's Augusta State
Airport, where a three-month investigation found:

Personal furniture and other belongings stored in the snow
removal building

An unscheduled April inspection "revealed the presence of two
boats, a large freezer, a pickup truck with commercial plates and
the personal household items still remaining," according to a
letter from the FAA's Donna Witte.

"The personal property takes up two bays of the federally-funded
building," the letter continued. "Two pieces of snow-removal
equipment were parked outside the building." Not only that, but on
a subsequent inspection more than a week later, there was a third
boat in the snow removal building.

And, oh-by-the-way, the airport is up for recertification.

In that process, the FAA found Augusta needs to replace its
inoperable rotating beacon, add an auxiliary windsock (lit for
night operations), and replacement of a fence to keep animals off
the runway.

The letter by the FAA's Witte to State Passenger Transportation
Director Ronald L. Roy May 19th, apparently led to the abrupt
resignation of Augusta State Airport Manager Robert McGee.

"Because it's a personnel matter, I can only say Bob voluntarily
tendered his resignation for personal reasons," Augusta City
Manager William Bridgeo told Maine Today. "I was very concerned
when (Roy) shared the letter with me last week and began to take
steps immediately to resolve the things in it."